Percussion fuse for bombs and other projectiles



L. SAVANI Get. 6, 1931.

PERCUSSION FUSE FOR BOMBS AND OTHER PROJECTILES Filed June '25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 6, 1931. L. SAVANI 1,826,190

PERCUSSION FUSE FOR BOMBS AND OTHER PROJECTILES Filed Jur 1e 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT omen;

A 1,826,1St

LUIGI SAVANI, OF MILAN, ITALY, ASSIGNOR SOCIETAITALIANA ERNESTO BREDA I PER- COSTRUZIONI MECGANICHE, I]? MILAN, ITALY PERCUSSION FUSE Fen Boa/inseam OTHER, PROJEGTILES Application filed .Tune 25, 1930, Serial K014637765; and in Germany July 24, 1929.

A great number of devices for fuses for bombs and other similar projectiles are known, by which endeavours have been made to obtain the explosion of the charge by the effect of an internal percussion produced automatically by the lightest shock of the projectile against any obstacle whatever, no matter what might be the direction of the said shock; but there is not even one which is ,exempt from the reproaches of artillerymen, for one reason or another. Usually the two masses placed in the body of the fuse, and destined to produce the percussion by reason of their momentum, do not possess the freedom of movement which is necessary to secure a delicate sensibility. One of the essential reasons which makes the obtaining of this liberty difficult, is the need to adopt a safety device, fit to prevent all possibility of accidental explosion and always ready to disengage rapidly in order to give full freedom to the percussion masses as soon as the progestile is thrown.

The present invention has as its aim the resolution of the above mentioned problems by means of a new and perfected arrangement of the percussion masses and of their holders, together with a suitable arrangement of the safety device.

The annexed drawings show by way of illustrative, though not limiting, example, a method of execution applied to a bomb which can be thrown by hand or'by the aid of any other suitable means.

Fig. 1 is an axial section of the head of the aforesaid bomb provided with a fuse according to the present invention and with a safety device having two shells (segments).

Fig. 2 is a front view of the said device.

Figs. 3-5 represent the front view of various other similar devices fashioned differently.

In the form of execution illustrated, the body of the bomb 1 containing the explosive charge has the neck 2 and the head 3 shaped suitably to allow the fuse to be adjusted thereoh? This fuse is enclosed ina cowl 4 of semiovoidal shape 5 in front and, at the back, is

shaped as a sleeve or collar 6 adjustably fitting onto the neck 2 of the bomb. In the opening of. the aforesaid cowl base,- convex to theoutside, is screwed so as to form a clo'sedyhollow, ovoidal body in which the members for firing the fuse are lodged.-

' The fuse device consists of two discs 8, 9 provided withtubularstems 8, 9 onesliding'in the other, and forming the axial guide of a helical spring 10 suitablefor keeping the discs apart. plosive, is provided with a'striker l1, and disc9 carries thedetonating charge enclosed in its tubular stemT'Q. A slide '13 mounted to slide transversely in the'cowl 4 and guided Disc 8,-ahle to hold an exbetween disc 8 and stem 9, prevents any movement of approach'between striker and detonator. The slide is connected with a device suitable to control its withdrawal to be described later. The two discs 8, 9 rest against two half-spheres 8", 9, consisting essentially of a heavy, easily fusible, material, which may contain explosive charges 8, 9. These'half spheres can roll or slide over theinternal surfaces of the semi-ovoidal portion 5 and of the curved base 7 the respective radii of curvature are so chosen that any movement of the half spheres, whether a rolling or agslidingmovement, will correspondto a-.forced neutral approach of the two discs 8-9, forced'by the aforesaid halfspheres. But these movements are not possibleso longas the' slide13 is in position. They become possible and inevitable as soon as the slide is withdrawmand they are produced, against the actionof thespring 10 at the moment when the bomb encounters any obstacle what-ever, through the shock following: in any direction from the effect of the momentum (energy) of, the two, heavy masses 8"fand 9". The perfect freedom; of

movement, in all directions, ofthe aforesaid V masses, and the mutual approach of-the two discs 8 and 9 which they'inevitably cause, no matter whatv may .be the direction, of their movement, insures an absolute sensibility and perfect action for every possible direction of shock against any obstacle whatever.

The device for controlling the withdrawal of the, slide 13 in order to put the-bomb into a state of action must also be, in its turn, ab-

'solutely certain in action. The four methods of executing this device as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 fulfill this condition, and in these methods the slide is hinged to a bonnet formed of several shells or segments, hinged to each other and covering the head of the cowl, to vwhich the. aforesaid: bonnet is fastenedaby the aid of a"'pin which maybe extracted by any suitable means at the moment of projecting the bomb.

Inthe arrangement as shown in' Figs; 1, 2, the bonnet has-only two shells or seg-' ments, oined together by a'hin is fixed to the cowlltby the aid of the pin-16 provided with a ring 17 If, at the moment of projecting thebomb the pin- 16 is. ex-

of Fig. 5 there are two shells 114 and" 14,

hinged to the slide and fixed to'the cow-1 by the pin, but in allt'hese causes the action is identical'with thatiof F ig, 2.

Naturally the shape, the arrangement and the material forming the different parts described may vary, without departing'from thescope of the present invention.

lVhatiI claim is:

1. A percussion fuse for bombsand similar projectiles, comprising a striker, a detonatingcharge, two tubular members to which the striker'and d etonating charge are respec tively attached, said two membersbeingslidably mountedso as to telescope, a spring for spacing said two members,a slide also spac ing said two members and adapted to be withdrawn before the bomb is cast, and two hemispheres independent of thetwo' tubular members, the striker and the detonating charge, and bearing against thetwo tubular members, said-two hemispheres being hollow to receive the explosive-charge.

2 A fuse as set forth in claiml, wherein the hemispheres contain explosive material.

3. A fuse as set forth in claiml wherein the two tubular members to which the striker and thedetonatingcharge are attached are lenticular in shape, the explosive being positioned between them.

4. A fuse as set forth in claim 1-,wherein the slide is hinged'to a bonnet formed of several spherical'shells hingedtogether, the honnet'being attachedt'o the bomb by the aid of a pin which is extractable when the bomb is cast. V

In testimonywhereof, I afiix my signature. LUIGI SAVANI.

;.the, first, one is hinged at'15 to the slide 13 and the last 

